Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an adapter for a low pressure compressed gas powered device designed for beverage dispensing and, more particularly, a compressed gas delivery adapter for a wine extraction and preservation device employing pressurized Argon gas to extract a volume of liquid from a bottle or other container.
Description of the Prior Art
Devices for extracting liquids, such as wine, from a sealed bottle using pressurized gas, such as Nitrogen or Argon delivered, sourced from an attachable disposable container are well established. In typical embodiments of gas-powered beverage dispensing devices of the type that do not require removal of the cork or seal of the beverage container, compressed gas to be introduced to a generally sealed bottle or container through a hollow tube inserted therein to enable pressurized liquid to be extracted. Many conventional gas-powered beverage dispensing devices are self contained, using a standard 6.5 gram metal cartridge of compressed gas (oftentimes, Argon) which is removably disposed within a hollow body of the device, typically referred to as the handle (or cup), in order to supply the requisite compressed gas. Accordingly, the handle include a cavity sufficient to receive a standard cylindrical 6.5 gram cartridge of compressed gas. Attaching and tightening the handle with the contained cartridge to the beverage dispensing device engages the gas discharge nipple (or nozzle) of the 6.5 gram cartridge with the beverage dispensing device, thereby forming an airtight seal between an annular tip of the gas discharge nipple and an annular seal inside the beverage dispensing device.
Naturally, such a 6.5 gram gas cartridge will have a limited useful life cycle. Indeed, it is common for conventional 6.5 gram cartridges to only provide 10-15 average sized pours of liquid before the cartridge is exhausted. Once exhausted, the cartridge must be removed and can be disposed, but it must be replaced with a fresh cartridge in order for the gas-powered beverage dispensing device to be used to dispense more liquid.
There exist larger, alternate gas-powered beverage dispensing devices, designed to be connected to a larger source of compressed gas through hoses and fittings or other threaded connections, so as to provide access to a larger supply of compressed gas and ultimately, more pours between each replacement. Such larger devices and their associated compressed gas sources and plumbing are typically more costly than the self-contained devices which utilize a 6.5 gram disposable cartridge. Accordingly, users of self-contained devices who seek the ability to pour a large number of glasses of a beverage without the ever-increasing inconvenience of having to reload gas cartridges so often generally have had no alternatives. Thus, there remains a need for an alternate gas delivery system which would enable owners of existing self-contained gas powered devices, designed to be powered by 6.5 gram gas cartridges, to adapt their device, at reasonable cost, so that the device can be powered by a greater source of compressed gas and/or utilize a refillable cartridge, so as to ultimately lower the costs associated with operating their gas-powered beverage dispensing device.